Landmark former pub on market for £1M

Susan Plunkett

An iconic former pub in Burnley has gone on the market with a price tag of £1M.

The former Sparrow Hawk Hotel in Church Street closed its doors in 2010 and has been used as a university hall of residence for the past three years for students at the University College of Football Business.

But the iconic building has now become available as the UCFB is re-locating to Manchester.

The property is being marketed by Nolan Redshaw and it has been described as a "significant instruction."

Jonathan Pickles of Nolan Redshaw said: "This is a important landmark building in the centre of Burnley which has been fully refurbished for use as halls of residence and now provides good potential for similar use or residential conversion."

The Sparrow Hawk was one of the town's oldest surviving pubs until it closed.

Popular with Clarets' fans and real ale lovers in its heyday, it was listed in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) guide and was also one of the venues for the annual Burnley Blues Festival.

The hotel site was once the town centre with shops and a market hall before the current town centre was developed in the 1700s.

The hotel’s name derives from the bird that can be seen in the Towneley coat of arms but according to local history before it was named the Sparrow Hawk in around 1830, it was called the Towneley Arms.